Crumble, Crumble, Little Rock
"A leader is best when people barely know that he exists, ... when his work is done, his aims fulfilled, they will all say, "We did this ourselves."" — Lao Tzu Few years after the revolution of Iwagakure irrigated every nick and corner of the Land of Earth with the promise of new and better times, it was snuffed away in Otogakure. It took two days for the word to reach the population and the tall stone towers echoed with bitter silence. Friends and foes of the first non-shinobi to ever stand atop a Hidden Village gritted their teeth and clenched their fists, some because of the loss, but most due to what they feared would come next. And indeed, long before his remains could be sent over to be given a proper burial, the men of the north were already in control. The sandcastle they had so desperately build and tried to uphold finally gave in against the relentless push of the sea and water ebbed over their walls, leaving nothing untouched. It had been three weeks since the gathered crowd in front of the Tsuchikage's building was parted by the parade of foreigners, marching to the entrance without regard. Whispers and rumors buzzed above the crowd, staring in silent resistance at the Six Generals of Yulryeo and their army. The soldiers of the north had been present ever since the late village leader had agreed for them to "protect" the Land of Earth, but where they had kept order next to shinobi before now they lined every wall and tower, looking down on the inhabitants. The few shinobi Iwagakure still bred were relieved from their positions and the forces patrolling the city were doubled, tripled, quadrupled until not a finger was lifted without Magoseong's watchful eye noticing. in twenty-one days the forces of Yulryeo had assumed control over the entire Land of Earth, down to the smallest and most remote establishments. Protesters were given the same answer, time and time again: it was all to protect the people, to ensure the Black Crown would not be given another chance to strike. People were pulled from their beds and dining tables for questioning, their families rarely seeing them again. Walking down the street became a liability: any sudden movement, any behavior even slightly off-the-norm and soldiers had you by the shoulders. Even the fiercest supporters of Yulryeo's presence in the Weathered Rock were wavering: their 'protection' came at the price of freedom and the leading seat was still vacant. For a new village leader to be elected, a meeting had to be called, but all gatherings had been forbidden, in fear of Black Crown conspiring. People grew uneasy, and a second revolution was threatening, until the day the Prince came. He was accompanied by his assistant and behind him, a trail of soldiers supporting a ornamented mahogany chest. The chest was empty - Makushimi had been obliterated until ashes and no living soul could survive long enough in the smoldering remains of Otogakure to collect them. The Prince and his entourage entered the village with dignified silence. The six generals lined up in front of the Tsuchikage building, where they had taken up residence, and greeted their Prince with the utmost of respect. The whole of Iwagakure had gathered, geezers and babies pulled from their bedside to witness the making of Iwagakure's future. The Prince entered the central building and not much later appeared at the edge of the roof alongside his woman, staring down at the people of the Rock and the empty chest. "People of Iwakagure" he started, the tone of his voice calm and respectful "I know you are all suffering. Makushini-nim was a great leader, one of the wisest this world as ever seen, and I have wept over his passing more than I can count these last weeks. He was taken from us in the cruelest of fashions, his very soul torn and ripped by the blade of the wicked Black Crown. They tried to take me as well, but fortunately I was aided by the Queen Mother during my last moments." The crowd, which had been holding its breath until know, burst into murmurs. Seiōbo, the Queen Mother, the Goddess of the Golden Mountain, she held many names, but all of them carried her fame and adoration within the rock. She had fled the country after the contract with Yulryeo had been established, proclaiming it could only lead to desperation, but if she had truly saved the one she had protested against so vehemently in the past, that could only mean she no longer held such a conviction. Yeomra silenced the people with another word. "During his final moments, faced with the most powerful shinobi of this world, Makushimi pleaded for the distinction between Black Crown and Kurozome. Above all, he wanted to protect those who belief in the God Tree and who are now being threatened because of this group of maniacs. I will devote my life to upholding this belief, as I myself am also kyūkonoshita". More murmurs. "Please, let Yulryeo help and protect the Land of Earth during these troubled times. Black Crown was obviously trying to undermine this country, believing it to be weak, an easy target. But we will show them that we are strong, and soon Black Crown will be crushed under the force of this rock!" Cheering, applause. A foreigner in charge of the rock was unacceptable, but there were few in Iwagakure who didn't pray to the tree every day. If Yeomra was truly as he said he was, he was as much family as their brothers or sisters, one of the many branches hoping for the tree to return one day. And thus, without any official contract signed or it ever being actually said, Yeomra assumed control over Iwagakure.